Trickster's Tankard (minor and major)

Warning: Trickster’s Tankard may result in alcohol abuse, random bar fights and very angry dwarves, half orcs, orcs, giants and anyone else who enjoys their drink.

Use with caution

Full Item Description Ultimately what the tankard looks like or may even be called comes right down to who created, however in recent years there seems to have been a surge of simple pewter or silver tankards that have been finding their way into the hands of bar tender and adventurer alike.

For those without the magic prowess it would take to see this item is enchanted, or cursed as far as some are concerned, the re is no way to tell such a tankard apart from being anything other then just a simple tankard.

That is of course unless you happen to catch the tankard in action, but by then most are not sober enough to realize just what has happened.

History Truly there is something to be said about having a naturally born rouge of some sort on your side as you venture across the world in search of fame and riches. The quick wits and often just as quick tongue if not dagger have saved perhaps more lives then they’ve risked.

However all too often is such a rouge also a born tricker and one can only feel sorry for the poor wizard that inspired this little invention.

The story seems to change; the names and places. However it seems that the details of what happened remain strong in the story as bards explain of a wizards quick thinking which granted him and his comrades the quick escape they needed from a tavern and later how the prank a friend resulted in funny but no less tragic results.

It is said that once upon a time, though when and where varies, a group of brave adventurers had been assembled by a powerful duke and charged with the duty of locating and slaying a dragon so that the duke may present his wife with a fantastic gem, the prize of whatever may be found in the dragon’s horde, the rest of which could go to the adventurers after they of course repay all fees tallied to supply them for their duty.

Eventually they did indeed find and slay a dragon and collected such a gem, but not before finding themselves taking rest in a tavern of a small city which it turned out to be home of a dragon worshiping cult, several members whom of which were present on that faithful night. Well, the adventurers began asking questions which lead to suspicion of their intentions and eventually to a rather sticky situation.

Fortunately for the band of adventurers, it was not only the rouge in their group who was quick of wits but also their wizard who with a small flick of his wrist and a wave of his hand set magics forth which spilt the drink of one rather large and nasty local who within a second had decided and acted upon the idea that it was another nearby local and before too long, a tavern wide fight had broken out, granting the chaos needed for the adventurers needed time to escape.

Well, just as a bard is called a bard by the singing and storytelling and poems they do, so is a rouge a rouge by his actions. Actions which more often then not are driven by either greed or a love of chaos and trickery.

Having presented the duke with the gem and succeeded in their mission, the wizard and friends decided that though they had been well fed and given much to drink during a feast held for them by the duke, the winning of a dragon’s treasure horde for themselves deserved further celebration at a local tavern.

With all in good spirits it was then that the rouge decided now would be good as good a time as any to play his little trick. After all, it was all in good fun in light of their victory. So lo and behold, the rouge works his own magics, though not as great as the wizards, on a tankard and offers the wizard a drink on him, in the tankard of course.

Well, time goes by, the rouge waits for his little prank to spring itself. It makes one wonder what the look on his face was when he found out that his act of generosity in buying the wizard a drink had inspired the wizard to do the same for someone else as a way of celebrating their new found riches, and in doing so had even thought of serving the drink himself to turned out to be a man who had a blade as quick as his temper.

Sure enough the tankard does it’s thing eventually, but as the wizard is serving a drink to a man most describe as a hulking thing of a barbarian, though some say it was a dwarf while others say a half orc. Regardless, within seconds, the wizard had been accused of intentionally spilling the drink on the man and within those same seconds the man had drawn a dirk and cut the wizard from stomach to sternum.

Indeed, the tankard had randomly turned itself on it’s side as the rouge had intended but while in the wizards hand as he served the man who had just now killed the wizard the rouge intended to play the joke on in the first place.

Though a tragic end to a prank, it did not take long for the rouge to get pass the guilt as he now had more of a dragon’s treasure horde for himself and had only known the man during the very task that had made them rich.

Forever wanting more money and forever the prankster, the rouge began to produce more tankards in hopes of finding entertainments in the bar room brawls it would cause despite the horrible turn of events linked to the first.

Now such tankards are common gifts among rouges as harmless fun and have even found their way into being created and shared by gnomes and even common among schoolboys as a means of pranking others.

Though there are many of these tankards about now, the original has been lost and rumor is that it’s loss is no coincidence. After it’s use at the tavern in which the wizard had died, it was said to have been kept at the tavern which soon went under due to financial troubles, resulting in the tankard as well as most anything else worth any money being sold to the highest bidder as the tavern’s owner scrambled to make good on taxes due to the duke which had sent the adventurers on their quest to begin with. Beyond that, no one knows.

Magic/Cursed Properties Trickster’s Tankard (Minor): Will, at random, within one hour of having been filled 3/4 the way full, suddenly tilt itself sideways, spilling it’s contents into the lap or stomach area of the one currently drinking from the tankard if not the next closest person.

Trickster’s Tankard (Major): Same as minor but with the additional trait that the item is cursed. The effects of the curse is suggested to be entirely up to the will of the GM, however the whoever possess the tankard will be haunted by the dead wizard after on week of possession, the wizard seeking in death to have his revenge on the rouge who had been the cause of his death.

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The explanation of its history seems needlessly drawn out for this fine minor item. An appropriate curse would be provoking serious conflicts, beyond simple bar fights. That can be useful at times, but using it can easily wake up the ghost mentioned, so beware.

Until reading the sub, I thought that this would be a sort of "everful tankard", and when I read the opening quote, I thought "result in...half orcs", as in, it'd make you so drunk that you'd have a one night stand with an orc... and well, there you go. :P Regardless, the history is too longwinded and the sub needs a lot of cleaning up. But it's still an interesting item.

I agree with Manfred on the History, however I enjoy the writing style. Maybe less story regarding the treasure, and just keep it to the prank. As mentioned some spelling mistakes. The Major can ALWAYS cause the person spilled on to be fight angry, and assume Someone ELSE caused it, and Rouge's are the prime suspect.

generally enjoyable and fun. I'm thinking I'll use something like this in my Campaign.

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Racy Religion

On a certain continent, nearly all kingdoms worship under the same pantheon. However, in the southern reaches the peoples take a much more...liberal stance on their Gods. Statues are nude, and very anatomically correct, and icons are often startlingly brazen. For instance, the icon of (insert name), the goddess of love, is an image of two nude twins embracing in a passionate kiss, signifying the love of both family and partner. This is a source of unending outrage and offense for the Northern churches, whose traditional and modest take on religion is constantly at odds with the near-blasphemous ideals of the Southerners. While this is not enough to provoke outright conflict, there is more than enough simmering discontent and long-held grudges between the two hemispheres.